Sunday marked the 40th anniversary of the death of Freddie Prinze. Only 22 years old, he took his own life just a few days after appearing at Jimmy Carter's inauguration gala. A wonderfully gifted comic, he shot to stardom in 1974 and made his mark on the classic television series CHICO AND THE MAN. His career otherwise consisted of a single TV-movie (THE MILLION DOLLAR RIP-OFF) and guest spots on variety shows, even guest-hosting THE TONIGHT SHOW in January 1976. Sadly his is a cautionary tale of too much, too soon. He should have had a long, brilliant career ahead of him, but his terrific work on CHICO AND THE MAN endures as a permanent legacy. Forty years later, it's still hard to even believe how it all ended....

Jimmie Walker, who had been a buddy of Prinze's, was once asked if fame killed had killed him. He responded, "No, fame did not kill Freddie Prinze. Drugs and Freddie Prinze killed Freddie Prinze." Some very tragic lessons are to be learned from this story.